Benicia Magazine

Benicia Magazine Events, things to do, art, education, food and drink, live music, people, history & more. Visit us i

Sixteen years strong, we are a community and lifestyle publication covering events, where to eat, people & profiles, art & culture, home & garden, community updates and more.

Get ready to be part of something extraordinary at Arts Benicia’s Fun , Festive & Spirited Fall Celebration. It will be ...
10/07/2025

Get ready to be part of something extraordinary at Arts Benicia’s Fun , Festive & Spirited Fall Celebration. It will be an event like no other... and we would love for you to join us!

There will be Spirit & Wine Tastings by SIPS, non-alcoholic drinks, delicious appetizers from Bella Sienna, and live music by Skillet Licorice trio - hot, sweet, and just a bit greasy! Plus a photo booth, Live and Silent Auctions, and more!

Thank you so much for supporting Arts Benicia! Your support is greatly appreciated.
Get ready to be part of something extraordinary at Arts Benicia’s Fun , Festive & Spirited Fall Celebration. It will be an event like no other... and we would love for you to join us!

There will be Spirit & Wine Tastings by SIPS, non-alcoholic drinks, delicious appetizers from Bella Sienna, and live music by Skillet Licorice trio - hot, sweet, and just a bit greasy! Plus a photo booth, Live and Silent Auctions, and more!

Get your early bird ticket at:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/fun-festive-and-spirited-fall-celebration

10/04/2025

We are so lucky to live in Benicia. We are close to some of the most beautiful places on this planet! From Lake Tahoe to Yosemite, Mendocino, Bodega, San Francisco, Gold Country, and Napa Valley. Napa Valley is one of our most spectacular areas, and in the fall, it is pure magic. As the summer heat mellows into warm days and crisp evenings, the rolling vineyards transform into a canvas of gold, amber, and deep crimson. The air carries the scent of crushed grapes and fermenting wine, signaling that harvest season—known as the crush—is in full swing.

📷 Best Fall Photo Spots in Napa Valley
- Carneros Region: Golden vineyards with sweeping bay views.
- Castello di Amorosa: Medieval-style castle framed by fall foliage.
- V. Sattui Winery Gardens: Vibrant landscaping and historic stone building.
- Sterling Vineyards: Take the aerial tram for panoramic autumn vistas.

🍷 Seasonal Wine Pairing Tips
- Cabernet Sauvignon – Perfect with roasted lamb or beef stew.
- Chardonnay – Try with butternut squash soup or crab cakes.
- Pinot Noir – A match for wild mushroom risotto.
- Zinfandel – Ideal alongside spiced pumpkin bread or apple tart.

🎭 Fall Events Worth the Trip
- Napa Valley Film Festival – November, celebrating film and food.
- Calistoga Harvest Table – Long-table dinner in the middle of Lincoln Avenue.
- St. Helena Hometown Harvest Festival – Family-friendly with a small-town feel.

Read full article by Mary hand at:
https://www.beniciamagazine.com/napa-valley-in-the-fall/

(See link in bio)

We’re cooking up something special for our November issue: a mini Benicia Comfort Food Cookbook - and we want you to be ...
10/03/2025

We’re cooking up something special for our November issue: a mini Benicia Comfort Food Cookbook - and we want you to be a part of it! ✨

We’re inviting our readers to submit their favorite holiday recipes (📸photos encouraged!) to share with the whole town.

From green bean casserole to creamy mashed potatoes to decadent rum cake, we want it all!

How to submit:
📩 e-mail: Send your recipe (and any photos of your dish) to [email protected]
🗓 Deadline: 10/10
📸 Bonus points if you include a great photo.
We can’t wait to see (and taste) the traditions you bring to the table. Our mouths are already watering! 🤤

10/03/2025

Email from Arts Benicia   38 Years of Igniting, Educating, and Nurturing The Artistic Spirit BUY TICKETS NOW Friday, November 14, 2025 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm B.D.E.S. Portuguese Hall of Benicia (first fl

We’re feeling so grateful for the wonderful feature in Benicia Magazine celebrating the heart, history, and community sp...
10/03/2025

We’re feeling so grateful for the wonderful feature in Benicia Magazine celebrating the heart, history, and community spirit behind Benicia Theatre Group. 💛

For over 60 years, our stage has been a place where stories are shared, friendships are formed, and creativity thrives — and seeing that legacy honored in print means the world to us.

A huge thank you to our audiences, volunteers, and community partners who make it all possible. 🙌 Together, we’re keeping the curtain raised for generations to come.

And now… the show must go on! 🌟 Don’t miss our fall musical The Fantasticks, a timeless story full of laughter, love, and magic — running October 17 – November 9. 🎟️✨ Grab your tickets now and be part of the magic: https://beniciatheatregroup.org

10/02/2025

The October issue of Benicia Magazine is now available! (Digital only).

The October issue of Benicia Magazine is packed with stories to get you in the spirit of the season. Inside, you’ll find two itineraries for the perfect spooky (and fun-filled) weekend in Benicia, a look at Lucha Libro—the group bringing the wrestling ring into local libraries—plus a spotlight on the Benicia Theatre Group, chilling ghost stories from our town’s past, and a dive into lesser-known October traditions from around the world. We’re also debuting our first-ever guest reviewer in Booktails, who takes on Katabasis by R.F. Kuang, along with plenty more to discover in this vibrant fall issue.

Read it now online or on Patreon, where members get early access each month.
https://www.beniciamagazine.com/current-issue/
(See link in bio)

Thanks for supporting local storytelling. We’re glad you’re here.

COMING IN 2026 … THE BENICIA ARTS FESTIVALStep into a day of open galleries, live performances, interactive activities a...
09/26/2025

COMING IN 2026 … THE BENICIA ARTS FESTIVAL

Step into a day of open galleries, live performances, interactive activities and installations, pop-up poetry, and street-level surprises. Art in every form and music in the air. Good tastes and sips. This array of artful delights is coming next year. Titled simply the Benicia Arts Festival and planned for June 6, 2026, the event will be a citywide celebration of creativity, expression, and connection hosted by the newly formed Benicia Art Gallery Alliance and the City of Benicia.

A vintage trolley will take guests along First Street to various gallery locations, as well as the Benicia Public Library’s O’Rourke Art Gallery and to Arts Benicia in the Benicia Arsenal. Artists will be present to say hello at each participating gallery and will host interactive art-making experiences for visitors, some to include takeaway souvenirs. Pop-up poetry readings will take place along First Street, and street musicians will entertain visitors as they migrate from one place to another. Selected restaurants will offer a “sip of art history” with costumed actors telling stories and legends about Benicia’s colorful past and present.

Read on at:
https://www.beniciamagazine.com/coming-in-2026-the-benicia-arts-festival/

How Terra Oliveira weaves faith, activism,and belonging into verse.For Bay Area poet Terra Oliveira, writing has always ...
09/19/2025

How Terra Oliveira weaves faith, activism,
and belonging into verse.
For Bay Area poet Terra Oliveira, writing has always been both a journey outward and a way back home.

Oliveira, who grew up in Benicia, recalls that her early work often carried an undertone of restlessness. “In one of my first poetry books, An Old Blue Light, I wrote from a place of restlessness and wanting to leave home,” she says. Lines like “I am leaving California. / I do not wish to be so small” captured that urgency to move away. But time, distance, and the inescapable pull of family eventually led her back.

Oliveira’s newest collection, Itinerant Songs, reflects this evolution. Divided into three sections: “On Work,” “On Country,” and “On Going Home”, the book explores transience, belonging, and the meaning of home. “Home is wherever my family is,” says Oliveira. Her grandmother, Teruko Azevedo, who lived in Benicia for over 50 years and suffered from dementia in her final years, became a central figure in these later poems. “The need to hold on to precious, limited time with family comes through a lot in the later poems of Itinerant Songs and in my pull to live in or near Benicia,” she explains.

Article by Cooper Mickelson, read at:
https://www.beniciamagazine.com/poetry-as-protest-prayer-and-home/

Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from September 15 to October 15, honors the independence anniversaries of several La...
09/17/2025

Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from September 15 to October 15, honors the independence anniversaries of several Latin American countries and recognizes the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans to U.S. culture and history. It highlights the diverse backgrounds and impact of Hispanic Americans across various sectors, including civil rights, education, and politics.

Francisca Benicia Carrillo and Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo are significant figures in California history. Vallejo was a military commander, politician, and landowner who played a crucial role in the transition of California from Mexican to American control. His wife, Benicia, was also significant, as the city of Benicia was named in her honor.
Hispanic Americans have made significant contributions to the United States in various fields, including civil rights, labor movements, and cultural identity. Notable figures such as César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, José Angel Gutiérrez, and Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales played vital roles in advocating for labor rights, political representation, and cultural identity.

Read article by Gethsemane Moss Ed.D. At:
https://www.beniciamagazine.com/celebrating-hispanic-heritage/

ARTIST AND ACTIVIST MARIO SAUCEDOBorn in Morelia, in the state of Michoacán, Mexico, Saucedo attended college and comple...
09/15/2025

ARTIST AND ACTIVIST MARIO SAUCEDO

Born in Morelia, in the state of Michoacán, Mexico, Saucedo attended college and completed a degree in veterinary science. He moved to the U.S. in June 1987, after his father passed. “Career over,” he sighed. “I’d have to study veterinary science here for another four years. I didn’t want to do it. I discovered my real calling was fashion, art, social services, and humanitarian work.”

Read article at: https://www.beniciamagazine.com/artist-and-activist-mario-saucedo/

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HIS WORK:
Visit SolanoAidsCoalition.org; and upcoming exhibitions, visit artsbenicia.org.

This season, we’re shining a spotlight on one of Benicia’s oldest nonprofit organizations, whose holiday programs do mor...
09/12/2025

This season, we’re shining a spotlight on one of Benicia’s oldest nonprofit organizations, whose holiday programs do more than provide much‑needed support for those in need. They offer businesses and residents the chance to see how small, simple actions, when taken together, can make an incredible impact.
For over four decades, the Benicia Community Action Council (BCAC) has hosted one of the city’s most meaningful holiday traditions, the Thanksgiving Community Dinner. What began in the early 1980s as a small, grassroots effort to meet a growing need has expanded into a large‑scale operation that provides hundreds of meals to Benicia residents each year.

Read article in our fall issue at:
https://www.beniciamagazine.com/rooted-in-community/

See link in bio.

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After more than thirteen years publishing monthly, Benicia Magazine remains an integral part of the community, retaining high readership and successful strategies for advertisers. We cover local issues and events, and all the things that Benicia is known for: great eateries, a lively pub and cafe scene, art & culture, business, education, home & garden, community updates and much more. Subscribe or visit us online at http://beniciamagazine.com.